Configuration file functions

The configuration files function as follows:

• exports — Sets access permissions for client machines that communicate with a server. With the exports file you can also establish global user permissions.
• users and users.local — Set access permissions for individual users that communicate with a server. Typically, the values specified in the users file are automatically generated to implement decisions made in RBAC. (For more information about RBAC, see Managing-access.) You can use the users.local file to override any permissions defined in the users file. Permissions set in either the users and users.local files override any global user permissions defined in the exports file.
• secure — Sets communication parameters that define how client and server machines communicate. RSCD agents, Application Servers, and client installations each have their own secure file. (On Windows, a single machine can have multiple client installations.) A client's secure file specifies how the client communicates with agents. A server's secure file specifies how an agent communicates with clients. An Application Server secure file specifies how the Application Server communicates with agents and how the file server (typically created on the same host as the Application Server) communicates with clients. The secure file also determines whether a Network Shell client communicates with servers using a Network Shell proxy server. A utility called secadmin allows you to configure the secure file on a particular machine. Although you can edit the secure file manually, BMC recommends that you always use secadmin.
• securecert — Stores passphrases used to encrypt the private keys for X.509 certificates. Strong security for communication requires X.509 certificates. Storing passphrases lets BMC Server Automation access private keys without any need for user interaction.

The following graphic illustrates how the secure, exports, and users configuration files work together to control access to a server.